Ti Gong
Family and friends of 47-year-old Jin Fang (on the right in the photo) shared this picture she sent while visiting Southern California before she went missing with John Root Fitzpatrick, whose body was found last month in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
In a tragic turn of events, 47-year-old Chinese woman Jin Fang, who traveled from China to the US to meet her online friend, remains missing. Meanwhile, her online acquaintance, 52-year-old American man John Root Fitzpatrick, has been found dead.
The body of Fitzpatrick, who went missing in July, has been found in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the local police confirmed, his truck was parked nearby. No further details have been released by the police
Jin went missing along with Fitzpatrick in July while the pair was reportedly on a tour of the Morongo Basin Area, in Southern California, US.
Ti Gong
Jin Fang (left), John Root Fitzpatrick, and a blue Toyota Tacoma with a California license plate 24478S1 driven by Fitzpatrick.
The Disappearance of Jin Fang
The missing woman, Jin Fang, is from Guangdong, China. She flew into Los Angeles from China on July 14 to meet Fitzpatrick, from Morongo Valley, California, after six months of online correspondence.
She spent a night at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles before taking a train to Palm Springs on July 15, where she was picked up by Fitzpatrick, who was supposed to show her around the Morongo Basin.
Over the next few days, Jin remained in contact with her family and friends via cell phone and social media.
However, authorities reported that the last contact with Jin was on July 22, and her last social media post mentioned that she was hiking in Joshua Tree National Park with Fitzpatrick.
San Bernardino County police and Jin's family have issued a missing person's bulletin, appealing to internet users for information about the whereabouts of Jin.
The family has also initiated a fundraising effort on multiple websites to raise US$10,000 as a reward for informants who provide tips about Jin.